Gay Marriage in Mass
February 4th, 2004
Who woulda thought that Massachusetts would reach this conclusion even before Canada?
Massachusetts gays won another major victory on Wednesday when the state’s highest court told lawmakers to allow full-fledged marriage for gays and said anything less would make them “second-class” citizens.
Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court, whose landmark ruling last year struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage, said in an opinion that only marriages for gays, not civil unions, were valid under the state’s constitution.
The court’s 4-3 ruling echoed its November decision, and left no wiggle room for state lawmakers who were pushing for a law that would create civil unions — essentially a parallel form of marriage for gays and lesbians.
I guess Boston now has a new tourist attraction to advertise. In the meantime, Canadians are still waffling on the issue… and I suspect that will continue for the forseeable future. Change – even change that’s right and necessary – takes time.
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Actually, three Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec and BC) had court decisions in favoring gay marriage before Massachusetts. They beat the rest of Canada, though.
That, and Massachusetts is pretty civilized as US states go…
I still think civil unions for all is the way to go. Marriage should be religious and ceremonial, unions should deal with the nitty-gritty contract, insurance and tax stuff.
But that won’t happen for a while, I would think.
Thumbs down to gay marriage
Ok Michael, so don’t have one.